Yeasted Waffles, Chickpea Stew, a Coping Strategy
Hello on this sunny April (!) Wednesday. Yesterday: I went for a long walk and listened a Bon Appetit podcast from a few weeks ago plus an episode of my Daily; I took my daughter to the living room for a Telehealth doctor's appointment (she's fine, just recovering from an injury); My 18-year-old is in a book club at school and the teacher picked The Executioner's Song for this month's selection -- what it lacks in the uplifting department, it makes up for in the time-killing department, i.e. it's 1000+ pages; There was plain yogurt in the fridge about to go bad, so I baked a yogurt-y corn bread that wasn't special enough to link to. That's it for me: Here's your daily PPP...
Project: Marion Cunningham's Yeasted Waffles
We've creped and we've pancaked, so it was only a matter of time before we waffled. With a special twist this time! These are the famous savory yeasted waffles from Marion Cunningham (of Fannie Farmer fame) that I've been meaning to make for years and that were absolutely worthy of the few remaining yeast packets I have left in the bunker pantry. I wrote about them in my Wednesday food dispatch over at Cup of Jo today. Check it out.
Pantry: Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut & Turmeric
Along the same theme of "Famous Recipes You've Been Meaning to Make Forever," might I suggest the Alison Roman famous stew? If you don't subscribe to NYT Cooking, you can definitely find it by way of the google machine. This photo is from a few months ago -- we used light coconut milk instead of full-fat and it was delicious. BTW, Have you noticed an uptick in people making more of these famous signature recipes? It's almost like people are cooking from some kind of bucket list -- Sarah Keiffer's pan-banged chocolate chip cookies, Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, Marcella's Bolognese, and of course, our pork ragu!
Purpose: If We Can Name it, We Can Manage It
My M.O. for the past three weeks has been to keep moving and maintain as much structure in my day as possible. A huge part of my therapy has been writing this daily dispatch, so thank you to everyone who has shown up and expressed gratitude, whether that's in the form of "Thank you" or an instagrammed pound cake. It catches up to you, though, this uneasiness, and I know I can't outrun it. Yesterday, I read a story in Harvard Business Review called "That Discomfort You're Feeling is Grief," and it really resonated with me. Especially this advice from David Kessler:
Our mind begins to show us images. My parents getting sick. We see the worst scenarios. That’s our minds being protective. Our goal is not to ignore those images or to try to make them go away — your mind won’t let you do that and it can be painful to try and force it. The goal is to find balance in the things you’re thinking. If you feel the worst image taking shape, make yourself think of the best image.
I realized I've had a lot of conversations with friends about this last part, about picturing "the best image" as a way to cope. My friend Christine told me she's going to throw a massive graduation party for her son (a high school senior) and invite all the coaches and teachers and "just envisioning that is a nice distraction." My friend Joanna pictures going to her favorite local restaurant and "tipping 200%." My image is dropping Phoebe off at college in September, ironic, considering in some ways I've been dreading that moment for the last 18 years. Anyway, I suggest reading the whole story if you haven't already. Lots of really helpful information in there.
Stay safe. Stay home.
The goal of the Project, Pantry, Purpose series to keep us sane, distracted, and connected. Please continue to comment below with suggestions for recipes, projects (for kids and adults), good deeds, donation ideas, stories, movies, games, puzzles. Or just tell me how you’re doing, what your daily routine is, and how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at jenny@dinneralovestory.com.